Remote control flying system

ABSTRACT

A system for flying a drone aircraft by remote control comprising a television camera mounted in the cockpit of the drone aircraft where the pilot&#39;&#39;s head is normally located; a wide-angle lens mounted on the television camera; transmitting means to send the pictures back to the ground where they are projected using rear projection means onto a hemispherical viewing screen; and a remote ground control for flying the drone in response to the pictures received from the cockpit television camera.

United States Patent [72] inventors Richard 0. Rue; 2,825,260 3/1958O'Brien 178/785 Floyd A. Kinder; Vance L. Hansen, China 3,181,809 5/1965Lobelle 244/138 Lake, Calif. 3,209,073 9/1965 Fa|bel.... 178/785 [21]Appi. No. 677,789 3,288,927 11/1966 Plump 178/7.5D [22 Filed Oct.24,1967 3,311,017 3/1967 Eckholm 350/125 [45] Patented Jan. 19, 1971OTHER REFERENCES [73] Ass'gnee 3 F g sz stmers of g as representedTelevision News, March- April 1931 The Radio-Cone trolled TelevisionPlane pages 10, ll. 75, 76. Copy in 178/6 IND 54 REMOTE CONTROL FLYINGSYSTEM Primary ExaminerRobert L. Griffin 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figs.Assistant ExaminerHoward W. Britton 52 us. Cl .1 178/63, GeorgeRubensRoy Mmerand victorc' l78/7.85 [51] Int. Cl H04n 5/72,

7/ 1 8 ABSTRACT: A system for flying a drone aircraft by remote FleldofSearch control comprising a television camera mounted in the 785, 6.8;350/125; 244/138, 138.1, 141 cockpit of the drone aircraft where thepilot's head is normally 56 R f d located; a wide-angle lens mounted onthe television camera; 1 e erences transmitting means to send thepictures back to the ground UNITED STATES PATENTS where they areprojected using rear projection means onto a 2,515,254 7/1950 Nosker l.178/61ND hemispherical viewing screen; and a remote ground control3,469,026 9/ 1969 Winik... 178/61ND for flying the drone in response tothe pictures received from 3,469,260 9/1969 Holt 178/61ND the cockpittelevision camera.

/0 fi/0/7e A/rcm/f 2a T ll l l/ 1212/ lane i Z1! 026m Zhffiamis /7/g/ /5L fib/rfivls 25 I Z3 lblesco 5 l/i/ewm 5967b 1 l-a- I 0 v v 7%2/ 4/ arq/qc/bn xsp/emJ 24- 22 /7 26 v r I I QCw/fiz/ L 3 /5 a 07 I l yes y6517/!0/5 I fkmoie Cap/yak Z7 Qnn/ro/ 5 PATENTEU JAN 1 9 l9?! 3551.304SHEET 1 UF 2 Y Richard 0; Rue Floyd A. Kinder Vance L. Hansen YINVENTORS REMOTE CONTROL FLYING SYSTEM BACKGROUND ,OF THE INVENTIONPresent systems used for control of drone aircraft depend upon closevisual watch of the aircraftfrom the ground and from chase planes whichfollow the-drone in flight. An array of on-off function switches with atwo-way telemetry link give a display of the drone instruments to aground controller. The ground controller while visually observing thedrone, uses a set or remote drone controls to cause the plane to takeoff. As soon as the drone leaves the ground, a chase plane pilot inclose visual contact with the drone takes over control, flying both hischase plane and the drone; a second faster chase plane takes overcontrol when necessary. On landing, the procedure is reversed. I

Since no attempt is made to provide simulation ,of actual cockpitcontrols, time is wasted familiarizing ground controllers and pilotswiththe control system. A controller, either on the ground or piloting achase plane, ishandicapped by the unnaturalness of the control system,and by the lack of capability for assessing the yaw, pitch and roll ofthe, drone. In an emergency situation, possible loss of control could beaverted if there was simulation of cockpit control.

It is therefore desirable to provide a realistic 180 view from from thecockpitof a drone to simulate cockpit flying.

When an ultrawide-angle lens is mounted on a movie camera and theresulting picture presented on a flat surface, extreme barrel distortionoccurs. It is well known that this barrel distortion can be corrected byprojecting the image onto a section of a sphere .or a hemisphere toachieve a full l80 undistorted view. See Popular Science, Volume I55,July, 1949, pages 92 and 93.

SUMMARY The general purpose ofthis invention is to provide a groundcontroller with a 180 field of view from the cockpit of a drone aircraftto permit flying of the drone under'sii'nulated cockpit conditions.

Accordingly, a television camera equippedwith a lens having a 180fieldof view is mounted in: the cockpit of a drone aircraft where the pilotshead is normally located and rigidly attached to the cockpit seat frame.The signals from the television camera are received by a televisionprojector which projects the view from the cockpit onto the convexsurface of a transluscent hemisphere. A ground controller observing theprojection from the center of curvature of the hemisphere is presentedwith anvundistorted view from the drone.

A simulated cockpit with controls identical to the drone to be flown isconstructed adjacent to the transluscent hemisphere. Thus, the groundcontroller can view the hemisphere and operate the drone controls tosimulate cockpit flying.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of thedrawing, there is shown atelevision camera 11 held in place by support 13 and mounted in thecockpit seat 35'of the drone aircraft 10. The television camera 11 isequipped with an ultrawide-angle lens having a 180 field of view. Thetelevision camera 1 l transmits a signal I4 which is received bytelevision projector 15 and projected onto the convex surface oftransluscent hemisphere 16. The television projector 15 may be akinescope projector, or a control layer system such as the EidophorSystem manufactured by Gretag, Limited of The Netherlands. Hemisphere I6may be constructed of glass, plexiglass or the like with a preparedsurface to permit rear projection viewing from the concave side. i a

To operate the system, the ground controller 18 places him-' self infront of the remote control console 24 such that the ground controllerseyes 26 are placed at. approximately the center of curvature of thehemisphere 16. The ground controller 18 then activates television camera11 which transmits pictures to the television projector I5, whichprojects onto the convex surface of hemisphere 16 for display on theconcave surface of hemisphere I6..The ground controller now has a viewwhich is not dissimilar to that which he would have if he were in thecockpit of the drone aircraft 10.

Using his ground flight controls 17 the ground controller 18 operatesthe drone flight control 20 via telemetry link 28. The ground controlleris now able to cause the drone aircraft I0 to begin flight. Once inflight the drone panel instruments 23 have their readings transmittedvia telemetry link 29 to the instrument display 22 which is readilyvisible to ground controller l8. When the ground controller I8 observesan object I9 approaching his aircraft I0, using ground flight controls17 he cancause the drone aircraft 10 to avoid the object. If he wishes,the ground controller can cause the drone to fly using the controlcomputer 21, which is operatively connected to the drone aircraft 10 viatelemetry link 30.

If the drone 10 is to crashed, the cockpit seat 35 may be ejected andthe television camera II and wide-angle lens 12 recovered.

Thus the system permits drone aircraft to be flown entirely from theground without necessitating the use of chase planes as had been donepreviously.

An alternate embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 discloses a conventionalkinescope 31 receiving signal 14 from the cockpit television camera. Aplurality of optical fibers are connected to the face 34 of thekinescope 31. The outermost I fibers 32 are of alength such that whenviewed along axis a q the fibers 32 describe the perimeter of ahemisphere. The innermost fiber 33, is of a length which is shorter thanfibers 32 by an amount equal to one-half the diameter of the kinescope.The sectional view, FIG. 3, shows a half circle described by the opticalfibers; and the optical fibers are arranged to form a concavity which isa hemisphere.

In a third embodiment. the panel instrument s 23 maybe included in thepicture transmitted via television signal 14. This is accomplished byadjusting the television camera II to includes the panel instruments 23in its field of view.

The fourth embodimentuses a flat-faced kinescope. However, this methodhas the disadvantages of barrel distortion.

In another embodiment, said television camera 11 equipped withwide-angle lens 12 may be mounted outside the cockpit of the droneaircraft I0. For example, this embodiment may be employed when the droneaircraft I0 is not equipped with a cockpit.

Various other modifications are contemplated and may ob viously beresorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter defined by theappended claims.

GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufacturedand used by or for the Government of the United States of America forgovernmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon ortherefor.

We claim:

1. A system for flying drone aircraft from the ground entirely by remotecontrol comprising:

a drone aircraft having a conventional aircraft cockpit including aninstrument panel, ejection seat, and flight controls;

a remote control station;

a television camera, having a lens, detachably mounted on said ejectionseat of said aircraft at the position a pilot's head would be if a pilotwere occupying said ejec tion seat, and scanning the view said pilotwould see;

telemetry means for transmitting signals from said television camera tosaid station;

telemetry means for transmitting the readings of said cockpitinstruments to said station;

a kinescope projector and translucent hemispheric viewing screen atsaid;station for receiving said transmitted television camera signals,and producing and displaying an undistorted picture of said view scannedby said television camera wherein said kinescope projector projects saidview onto the convex surface of said hemisphere and said picture isdisplayed for viewing on the concave surface of said hemisphere;

means for receiving said telemetered instrument readings at said stationand displaying said readings on an instrument panel identical to theinstrument panel in said drone;

a simulated cockpit at said station having said remote con trol stationinstrument panel, and flight controls identical to those in said dronesuch that a pilot seated before said instrument panel and said flightcontrols with his head at the center of curvature of said hemisphere cansee the view he would see if he were occupyingsaid drone's ejectionseat;

means for moving the flight controls in said drone in response to themovement of said flight controls by said pilot at said station such thatthe flight of said drone is controlled entirely by remote control; and

means for ejecting said camera and said seat from said aircraft,including a parachute. such that said camera can be ejected andrecovered.

1. A system for flying drone aircraft from the ground entirely by remotecontrol comprising: a drone aircraft having a conventional aircraftcockpit including an instrument panel, ejection seat, and flightcontrols; a remote control station; a television camera, having a 180*lens, detachably mounted on said ejection seat of said aircraft at theposition a pilot''s head would be if a pilot were occupying saidejection seat, and scanning the view said pilot would see; telemetrymeans for transmitting signals from said television camera to saidstation; telemetry means for transmitting the readings of said cockpitinstruments to said station; a kinescope projector and translucenthemispheric viewing screen at said station for receiving saidtransmitted television camera signals, and producing and displaying anundistorted picture of said view scanned by said television camerawherein said kinescope projector projects said view onto the convexsurface of said hemisphere and said picture is displayed for viewing onthe concave surface of said hemisphere; means for receiving saidtelemetered instrument readings at said station and displaying saidreadings on an instrument panel identical to the instrument panel insaid drone; a simulated cockpit at said station having said remotecontrol station instrument panel, and flight controls identical to thosein said drone such that a pilot seated before said instrument panel andsaid flight controls with his head at the center of curvature of saidhemisphere can see the view he would see if he were occupying saiddrone''s ejection seat; means for moving the flight controls in saiddrone in response to the movement of said flight controls by said pilotat said station such that the flight of said drone is controlledentirely by remote control; and means for ejecting said camera and saidseat from said aircraft, including a parachute, such that said cameracan be ejected and recovered.